ATC Not for Sale

The United States has the world’s largest, most diverse, most complex and safest aviation system. General aviation is a critical industry, supporting more than 1 million jobs, and over $200 billion in economic activity. Key to this success is the ability for general aviation to have unrestrained access to all airports and airspace.

The United States has the world’s largest, most diverse, most complex and safest aviation system. General aviation is a critical industry, supporting more than 1 million jobs, and over $200 billion in economic activity. Key to this success is the ability for general aviation to have unrestrained access to all airports and airspace.

However, the proposal under H.R. 2997 to turn over ATC operations to a not-for-profit corporation represents the greatest threat general aviation has ever faced. Under this plan, taxing authority, resource allocation, and access decisions would be given to a private board dominated by the big airlines. The board would be unaccountable to the public, beyond the reach of Congress, and able to tell general aviation operators where and when they could fly. H.R. 2997 is an unprecedented corporate giveaway, handing unchecked power and control of our airspace and billions of dollars in taxpayer assets to the big airlines.

In 2017, three independent, non-partisan government entities reviewed H.R. 2997 and raised serious concerns. The Congressional Budget Office determined air traffic control privatization would “increase the deficit by $100 billion,” the Congressional Research Service said the legislation is “likely unconstitutional,” and the Government Accountability Office found that ATC privatization “may jeopardize modernization efforts.”

The general aviation community supports targeted solutions to identified challenges to ensure our ATC system continues setting the world standard. We believe in continued investments in modernizing our aviation infrastructure and utilizing public private partnerships, however, actual control of our ATC system is an inherently governmental function.

Please don’t listen to Washington insiders that want to gain control of our ATC system and hand it over to the airlines. I urge you to stand with me, the entire general aviation industry, your local community and businesses across the country in saying no to H.R. 2997 and yes to fair and equal access for all stakeholders.

Click on this link to get the facts, and to help us take action against the Privatization of ATC.”